History of Technology/Invention Unit
       Unit Goal:  Students will learn, through an examination of technology history, that each innovation stems from a previous invention.  Click here to see the Introduction to the Unit, which is a Whole-group Discussion

Activities

Technology TEKS
  1.        The whole class will examine and discuss a simple tool.  This activity will introduce the idea that successful technology development depends on previous innovation.
 3D
  1.        To continue, the whole class, then small groups will examine and discuss, then brainstorm the workings of a more complex tool; mentally disassembling it to discover what inventions must have been its precursors.
 1E, 3D
  1.        Then, working in their small groups again, students will do Internet research on one of several inventions, gathering data to  detail the mechanisms that allow their inventions to operate, and explaining the connections of these inventions to previous technology.
 1E, 1G, 3D, 4A, 4B, 8B, 8D
  1.        Students will prepare and present their data to the class, using a web page format or Powerpoint presentations, as they choose.
 10A, 10D, 11A, 11B, 11C
  1.        As a final extension of the work done so far, students will be given major problems to solve; they will brainstorm, do Internet research, and come up with inventions of their own.  They will design virtual mockups of them, then present their inventions to the rest of the class.
 4A, 4B, 8B, 8D, 11A, 11B, 11C
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       The activities for the unit follow on separate pages.

Click here for Activity Descriptions:   First      Second      Third      Fourth       Fifth 

       The assessment rubric for the unit is based on the International Baccalaureate Technology Assessment for their Middle Years Programme.

   Click here for the IBMYP Rubric
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x        During much of the research, students will be doing Internet research.  A page of (hopefully useful) links is included here.

   Click here for the Link Page

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